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Mark Montrose
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As the new liaison to the IEEE Press from the EMC Society, and author of three best selling IEEE Press books, it is my pleasure to describe this important position within the EMC Society, and to encourage one to become an author.
IEEE Press publishes 30% of the world's engineering text and reference books. The focus of IEEE Press is to provide the highest quality of technical information in a variety of engineering disciplines. Most publishers focus on a specific market, or target a unique group of authors (i.e., university professors). Other publishers have thousands of books in their inventory that makes it difficult to ascertain if a specific title or subject exist. IEEE Press sells books worldwide. In addition, the staff at IEEE Press provides an incredible amount of support to the author during the development and publication cycle. An IEEE Press author never has to spend personal funds to publish! One must choose a publisher that provides the greatest amount of benefit to the author and audience, with the widest exposure possible for the sale of products.
A unique operational aspect of IEEE Press over that of other publishers is the extensive marketing and merchandizing of books using mass mailings several times a year, participating and selling books at trade shows worldwide (conferences and symposia), advertisements in Spectrum, The Institute, various Society publications, commercial magazines and an extensive web presence. Because of the efforts of successful IEEE Press mass marketing, one will sell more copies than those publishers who do not advertise on an individual basis, due to thousands of books in their inventory will. This makes it impossible for other publishers to provide personalized service or merchandizing of ones' hard work.
Most authors who desire to publish are accepted into the family of fellow authors easily, however, few have the skills and expertise to write a book of a technical nature that provides significant benefit to readers. Books that focus towards applied engineering topics and hands-on engineering sell a significantly greater number of copies than those written repeating the same material commonly found in many other books with a similar (or identical) title and subject. Being creative in finding a topic that has never been published can change one's professional career to a level that is beyond comprehension. In addition, royalty payments can be substantial, along with a sense of accomplishment that will last a lifetime.
To be successful in one's career, especially in the complex field of electromagnetics, one must first achieve a desire to work hard, sacrificing various aspects of maintaining a normal life outside one's day job, in an effort to generate a work of art appreciated by others. It typically takes nine months (24 hours a day, seven days a week) in the course of 3 years to write a technical book, however, when one gives birth to their book, the excitement, pride and pleasure makes it all worthwhile.
Today's IEEE Press is devoted to quality and growth. Authors come from all areas of the engineering profession: academic classroom, research laboratory, production facility, the consultant's office, and managerial suites. Some authors have published technical papers or teach professional seminars or short courses. All are experts in their field and share a commitment to providing timely, practical, effective information to help readers solve work-related problems.
If one desires to become an author, or has an interest in additional information, contact me directly at m.montrose@ieee.org . Check out the web page of IEEE Press at www.ieee.org/press . EMC